There are three hardware-based options of which I'm aware for accessing the music playing functions an an iPod, iPhone, or iPad, as well as customisable software programs. These won't help you to use the programs on an iPod Touch, iPhone, or iPad - just to play the music, audiobooks and podcasts you've already put onto the device.

Each option has different features, and of course different things work for different people so I'll let you know as many features as I have knowledge of, and we can go from there:

SpaceKraft's iPod Switcher

This is the simplest controller, with only three buttons. It has a desktop docking unit where the iPod sits plus a wireless controller unit with the three buttons.

Functions it controls: Play/Pause, Next Track, Previous Track.

Switch access: This unit does not allow your own switches to be plugged in, only the unit's own built-in buttons can be used.

Compatibility: The sales page just says "iPod". There's no clear indication of which iPods it will operate with - it looks like the dock part would only fit specific sizes of iPods.

Wireless controller size: 24cm wide, 19cm deep, 7cm tall.

Button size: Unspecified.

Cost: £295

Notes: The switcher control box is battery powered. The page says "Operates on 240v" which implies the dock section needs to be plugged in to operate, however.

RJ Cooper's BIG iPod Remote

Five-button remote with large brightly coloured buttons on the top, separate switches can also be plugged in.

Functions it controls: Play/Pause, Next Track, Previous Track, Volume up, Volume down.

Switch access: The unit's own built-in buttons can be used or any/all of these buttons can be replaced by separate switches.

Compatibility: It should fit any iPod/iPhone/iPad except the iPod Shuffle.

Wireless controller size: 8" wide x 5" deep x 3" tall.

Button size: The large green button is 1-3/4" and the smaller buttons are 1-1/4".

Cost: US$119

Technical Solutions' iScanMP3 (formerly SwitchPod)

Single switch visual/auditory scanning system, including adjustable scan speed.

Functions it controls: Play/Pause, Next Track, Previous Track, Volume up, Volume down, Power on/off.

Switch access: Plug in any standard switch.

Compatibility: It should fit any iPod/iPhone/iPad except the iPod Shuffle.

Cost: AU$190

Other Options

There are some 'easy music controller' programs for the iPod Touch, iPhone and iPad which present an interface that's easier to operate for those with limited dexterity. They generally operate by gestures, where a single tap gesture anywhere on the screen will operate either the 'pause/play' function or the 'next song' function. Some are configurable so that you can define what gestures mean what.

These are some cheap options I recommend:

Gesture Player

This is the one I use myself to listen to my audio books. Specially cool things about it:

• Compatible with both iPad and iPhone/iPod Touch. Most seem to be iPhone/iPod Touch only.
• Clearly displays the function you have activated, so you know what's happening.
• You can pick a default playlist to use. Most seem to only have the option to use the full library.
• Can adjust the sensitivity of the gesture recogniser, more sensitive requires the gestures to be more accurate before they're recognised.

About the only thing that isn't perfect about this one is there's no ability to configure which gesture does what!

Swiper Music Player

Swiper has slightly different controls, so a single tap to the screen moves to the next track and a long tap (press-and-hold) is needed to operate the play/pause function. It also displays the music's cover art so you can see pictorially what's playing. Swiper is for the iPhone/iPod Touch only, there's no iPad native version.

LeechTunes

LeechTunes allows some controls to be customised, but basic controls seem fixed, including a single tap operating the play/pause function. There are a bunch of different "skins" to change the appearance and a software function to lock the program in either portrait or landscape mode. It also has iPhone/iPod Touch and iPad versions.

- Ricky Buchanan

There was an Apple event today which unveiled some exciting updated products. Unfortunately my own Mac has a broken video card and is at the local Apple shop for urgent repairs, but rather than delay telling you I am going to post this abbreviated account from my iPad (which has been invaluable while my computer has been away!).

Announcements included:

Upgraded iPod Touch

This iPod Touch has all the cool stuff recently added to the iPhone, including FaceTime video calling, the high definition Retina Display, and it's own forward and rear facing cameras.

Upgraded iPod Nano With Touch-screen

The iPod Nano now sports the same type of touchscreen that the other iDevices have, including VoiceOver and most of the same other accessibility features found on the iPhone and iPads.

Upgraded iPod Shuffle

This new iPod Shuffle sports physical buttons again, as well as VoiceOver, and support for playlists.

Upgraded Apple TV

it's smaller, sleeker, and black! Seriously, though, if you are an ardent Mac/Apple user this looks like a great way to integrate your setup with your existing TV/stereo system.

iTunes 10

iTunes 10 has a social network feature and TV shows can now be rented. And, of course, it works with the newly upgraded devices.

That's all from me until my Mac is back in service, which should be early next week. What do you think about the accessibility implications of these announcements?

- Ricky Buchanan

I got a reader question a few days ago which initially had me stumped. The author has a child with autism who is greatly calmed during car journeys by listening to an iPod. However, due to the child's autism, they fiddle with the iPod buttons incessantly and occasionally turn it off or pause the sound by accident, then being unable to turn the sound back on again and becoming agitated. The reader asked if I had any ideas for preventing this.

After a few days thought, I've come up with two ideas that I think would be workable:

iPod Shuffle + Regular Headphones

If you obtain one of the new iPod shuffles, the ones with no buttons on the front, and plug in regular headphones, you effectively have an iPod with no buttons to fiddle with. It's also small enough that if you use headphones with a band, you can use some tape or elastic to attach the spare cord and the iPod itself to the band of the headphones out of harm's way.

When you plug your regular headphones into the shuffle it automatically turns on, and turns off only when you unplug them. When it's on, the iPod shuffle will play everything in the library in random - shuffle - order, so this would be fine for music but not, for example, for an audiobook that came in multiple parts.

To actually control the songs and volume on an iPod shuffle you can use the headphones which come with the device or specially purchased replacement headphones which have the iPod Shuffle remote built in, or an adapter such as the Belkin Headphone Adapter for iPod Shuffle or Scosche Control Adapter for iPod Shuffle. If you're trying to find compatible headphones or an adapter, make sure it's compatible with a "3rd generation iPod Shuffle".

Full Case + Fiddle Toys

The other possibility is buying a case which completely encloses the iPod, covering all the buttons so they can only be reached when the case is opened. Depending on the capabilities of the child, you may be able to find a case which uses a type of closure that they can't open. Possibly "fiddle toys" could also be attached to the case to give the child something to keep their fingers occupied.

You could get a speciality iPod case such as one designed for joggers who didn't want the buttons pressed accidentally, or for most situations you could just use any small case that your particular child won't be able to open - a zip up pencil case or cosmetics bag would do the job nicely. A quick search on Amazon showed me the Zip It Clutch with Handle which even has a perfect handle for attaching keyring-style fiddle-toys to. It appears you can get almost anything attached to a keyring, too. Amongst others, I found:

• Minature LED Flashlight Keychain
• Fuzzy Blue Totoro Toy Keyring
• White Rabbit Plush Toy Keyring
• Light-Up Plastic Monkey Toy Keyring With Chattering Sounds
• Disney Princess Snow White Keyring
• Peanuts Charlie Brown Keyring
• Toy Story Woody Keychain with Puppet Action

Do you have a child who fiddles with an iPod and turns it off, and if so how do you cope with it?

- Ricky Buchanan

Photo Credit: iPod Shuffle photo by bfishadow. Keyring photo by Dan Perry.

There's a new iPod Shuffle available from Apple. Like the newest iPod Nano it can read out information such as song titles and playlist names. Unlike the iPod Nano, the VoiceOver feature is enabled by default and is part of their standard advertising, which makes sense as the device has no screen.

The web page for the iPod Shuffle's VoiceOver feature states that the device obtains its speech from the system while synchronising with iTunes, and also lists these languages as supported:

• Chinese (Mandarin)
• Czech
• Dutch
• English
• French
• German
• Greek
• Italian
• Japanese
• Polish
• Portuguese
• Spanish
• Swedish
• Turkish

There is no fine print I can see stating that the non-English voices must be purchased separately. If this is actually the case, does it imply that OS X's speech may become multi-lingual "out of the box" in the near future? That would be fantastic news for the assistive technology communities in primarily non-English speaking countries! [ETA: Lioncourt.com have confirmed that third party voices aren't required for non-English languages to be generated on this new iPod Shuffle.]

The new iPod Shuffle also has no built-in controls, but is controlled by Apple-branded earbuds with a tiny remote control attached. The controls function using a combination of multiple clicks to move between tracks, and click-and-hold to move between playlists and hear the current song and artist name. I think this should mean that switch-adapting the controls would be a matter of adding a pass-through switch in line with the earbuds, with an added control box for switch users who need to have some switch click/hold combinations generated via scanning or another method. This is only conjecture - I'm no switch expert! But it seems like good news for switch users who'd like to have independent iPod access.

We'll have to wait until somebody can get hands-on with a device to confirm these things, but it certainly seems exciting at this point.

To go with the new shuffle, a new version of iTunes has been released which sports some VoiceOver accessibility improvements of its own. Lioncourt.com has published an article about iTunes 8.1 and A Closer Look At Accessibility which is worth reading.

- Ricky Buchanan

Apple doesn't often hold sales, but they seem to have gone out of their way to advertise an international one-day sale for this Friday. Known in the USA as "Black Friday", the Friday after American Thanksgiving is known for having sales with huge discounts. This is an image of the email I received from Apple Australia:

I've seen people reporting similar emails from the USA, Canadian, and NZ Apple stores, as well as the Australian one. I suspect other countries will be in on the deal too - let me know if you've got one! You could also check your local online Apple store to see if they are advertising the sale - that link should take you to your local store automatically.

MacRumours is reporting that Apple retail stores will be able to match the prices of non-Apple retailers this Friday, which may mean big discounts on Apple products.

Amazon.com are also advertising great Black Friday bargains which I expect to include third party computer and electronics gears, as well as all the usual Amazon.com goodies.

If you're planning to buy, you may want to check MacWorld's iPod Buying Guide and Mac Buying Guide to make sure you get the right product.

- Ricky Buchanan